Biggest key for White Sox? Hit the ball
Heading into spring training a year ago, the Chicago White Sox were loaded with new faces and expectations were running high.
"I expect us to make the playoffs," manager Robin Ventura proclaimed on the opening day of camp.
Some eight months later, the disappointing Sox finished with a losing record for the third straight season and Ventura was fortunate to keep his job.
It's a new year, and the White Sox have made more roster changes. Is it going to be enough for the Sox to return to the playoffs for this first time since 2008?
With pitchers and catchers reporting to spring training on Friday in Glendale, Arizona, here are five keys to the upcoming season.
Need success at the plate:
Adding established hitters Melky Cabrera and Adam LaRoche was expected to bolster the White Sox' offense in 2015, but neither free agent made much of an impact at the plate.
Cabrera's final hitting line - .273/.314/.394 - was his worst since 2010. With a .207/.293/.340 slash line, along with 12 home runs and 44 RBI, LaRoche actually made some White Sox fans miss Adam Dunn.
"Obviously some of the players, some of the things we were counting on last year, didn't quite measure up to their potential," general manager Rick Hahn said.
Jose Abreu did live up to expectations, and leadoff man Adam Eaton overcame a slow start and finished with a .287/.361/.431 hitting line.
That wasn't nearly enough to overcome the disappointing offensive showings from Cabrera, LaRoche, Avisail Garcia, Alexei Ramirez, Tyler Flowers, Carlos Sanchez and Tyler Saladino.
The White Sox finished last in the American League in runs scored, home runs and OPS, so Hahn added third baseman Todd Frazier and second baseman Brett Lawrie in trades this off-season and replaced Flowers and Geovany Soto with new catchers Dioner Navarro and Alex Avila.
"We feel stronger in at least three positions than we were at the end of (last) season," Hahn said.
Roster still needs help:
It has been an odd off-season on the rumor front.
The Sox reportedly were interested in free-agent outfielders Yoenis Cespedes, Justin Upton and Alex Gordon, who all wound up signing elsewhere.
They still are being linked to free agents Dexter Fowler and Ian Desmond, but adding either player would cost the Sox the compensatory draft pick they got from San Francisco after starting pitcher Jeff Samardzija signed with the Giants.
At SoxFest late last month, Hahn said he's not done "augmenting the roster," so it's still possible he makes an upgrade in right field or shortstop before the season opens April 4 at Oakland.
Strong starting staff:
With Chris Sale, Jose Quintana and rising star Carlos Rodon occupying the top three spots, the starting rotation is still the White Sox' strength.
The rotation could be even stronger if Erik Johnson builds off an impressive final month of last season (3-1, 3.34 ERA) and newcomer Mat Latos is healthy enough to move the ineffective John Danks out of a spot.
Latos, who doesn't shy away from making controversial comments, could be a bargain for the Sox on a one-year, $3 million contract.
But if he doesn't pitch much better than last season - the right-hander was a combined 4-10 with a 4.95 ERA with the Marlins, Dodgers and Angels - Latos is unlikely to break camp with the White Sox.
The challenge at shortstop:
Taking over at third base last season after Conor Gillaspie and Gordon Beckham flopped, Saladino instantly stabilized the Sox' shaky defense.
Saladino moves to shortstop this year, his natural position, and there are no worries about the glove.
The bat is another question. After a promising start in 2015, Saladino stopped hitting and ended the year with a .225/.267/.335 slash line to go with 4 home runs and 20 RBI in 68 games.
Tim Anderson is expected to take over as the White Sox' starting shortstop at some point this season, and the top prospect's arrival date could be June or it could be September.
If Saladino can hold his own with the bat, that would buy Anderson more development time at Class AAA Charlotte.
Follow the leader:
The Sox missed Paul Konerko's bat last season, and they really missed the retired captain's leadership. When the White Sox got off to another sluggish start, the clubhouse quickly fractured and never fully recovered.
LaRoche was expected to fill the void left by Konerko, but that's difficult to do when you're barely hitting your weight.
Frazier definitely has leadership potential, but he is not going to be too pushy in his first season with the team.
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